It was just moments ago that SamFirmware leaked the first ever Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich based firmware for the Samsung Galaxy S2. Even though the leaked firmware (XXKP1) is based on Ice Cream Sandwich, the whole UI still looks similar to the Gingerbread based firmware, all thanks to Samsung’s TouchWIZ UI. Thankfully, Samsung has included all the Ice Cream Sandwich based goodies like Face Unlock, improved copy and paste system, new browser and much more. The build.prop file of the leaked firmware suggests that it carries a build date of 7th December.

I installed the ROM on my SGS2, and was umm kinda disappointed. There are hardly any visible UI changes in the leaked firmware. Also, since this is a very early leak, there are some issues with it like random reboots, force closes etc. Users are recommend not to use this firmware as their daily driver. However, they can try out the firmware so as to see how the official Ice Cream Sandwich update from Samsung will look like. The leaked firmware is available as an ODIN flashable zip file, and cannot be flashed via a Custom recovery.

You don’t need to have a rooted Galaxy S2 to flash the leaked firmware. Below are the steps to install the leaked Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich based firmware on the Galaxy S2 via ODIN -:1) First download the leaked firmware file from here (Pass:Samfirmware.com), and download ODIN from here.

2) Now, unzip the leaked firmware file inside a new folder on your desktop. Now start ODIN and press the PDA button. Now, browse to the folder inside which you extracted the leaked firmware and select the file with the following name ’I9100_Kernel_I9100XXKP1..’. Ignore the APBOOT file, it contains the bootloader files and there is no need to flash it.

Similarly, press the Phone and CSC button and select the file with ‘Modem’ (MODEM_I9100XXKP1) and Code in its name(I9100_CODE_I9100XXKP1), respectively. Make sure you leave every other setting of ODIN as it it. There is no need to select either a PIT file or a Bootloader file. Just leave everything at stock. 3) Restart your phone in Download mode. To do so, simply switch off your phone and re-insert the battery and then press the Volume Down + Home + Power button simultaneously. Your phone will then show a warning about a Custom OS and your warranty being void. Simply press the Volume Up button to skip this screen. When your phone shows the Android Logo with ‘Downloading…’ written below it. At this point, connect your phone to your PC.

4) When ODIN will detect your phone, it will show a random COM No. inside a yellow glowing box. Just press the ‘Start’ button now, and wait for ODIN to flash the Android XXKP1 ROM on your SGS2. Once the the ROM is flashed, your handset will automatically reboot itself. Keep in mind that the first boot will take some considerable time!

Update: You can also select the ‘Code’ file under the PDA section, and the ‘Modem’ file under Phone section and flash directly. This does NOT mean that the above method is incorrect or will brick your phone.

Author: Rajesh Pandey

Rajesh is a 19 year old nerd, currently pursuing B.Com Hons from Bhawanipore college in Kolkata, India. He loves everything tech, especially Android. You can follow him on twitter @ePandu or mail to him at rajesh@techie-buzz.com.